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| - Dare I give Splendido a moderate rating at the risk of Foodie-Nazis dismissing my palate all together? When it comes down to it, I think honesty is the best policy.
To put matters in perspective, I had VERY high hopes for this restaurant before I stepped foot in it. We arrived before our reservation time, so we had a seat at the bar and ordered a few cocktails. I saw that the bartender was very skilled and meticulous with what she was making. Since my boyfriend was driving, I asked her to whip up something virgin for him. She made a ginger beer from scratch and even used a foam machine to mimic bear foam. I ordered the Summer Solstice which was a concoction of lychee, cucumber, and what have you. After I tasted the drinks, I was slightly puzzled. After that display of professional bartending, which was fun to watch, the drinks did not measure up to the show. My cocktail tasted like a flat Soho and sprite and the ginger beer was a little on the vinegery side. Even though I was taken aback, I was still thoroughly excited about the meal ahead.
We ordered the quail stuffed with foie gras, egg yolk raviolo, and the fish and chips platter for two. Our waiter returned 10 minutes after we ordered to tell us that they had ran out of fish and they could substitute for another type but it wouldn't be the same preparation, to which we agreed. This was unusual but completely understandable; my boyfriend was slightly let down because he wanted to see what a $60 plate of fish and chips would look like presentation-wise.
When the quail stuffed with foie gras arrived, we were (how can I put this) a little shocked. We both had our own interpretation of the plate which were very crude. These are descriptions I'd never thought I'd use on the presentation of a reputable high end restaurant; I will not share them here because I don't want to offend anyone. (The picture that I uploaded on Yelp is very well-angled.) The horror aside, I could see the motif behind the plating. There were a lot of artistic techniques used like brushing, splashing, and spacing. If it were a painting, I would comment on the contrast of flow and harsh blotches on the canvas. Unfortunately, it was my appetizer and it is even less fortunate that the sauce is deep red with a few pieces of brown medallions placed randomly around the centre. The quail itself was okay but there was very minimal foie gras taste. I must say that with such bold plating, the taste was very subtle.
After the appetizer, the egg yolk raviolo arrived on a clean plate. The stark contract in plating from the previous dish could not be more evident. The raviolo itself looked very rustic and delicious. When I cut into it, the egg yolk just oozed out into the plate. Perfect. It was the highlight of the night.
Then, our modified version of the fish and chips arrived. There were two perfectly sautéed fillets of sea bass with tartar sauce flavoured butter. It was good but neither exciting nor mind blowing. The best thing about this dish for me was the side of peas; it was so simple yet the freshness of the peas really spoke for itself. There is nothing bad I can say about it but I didn't have that "gasp, OMG" moment which is what I would expect from a restaurant like Splendido. The raviolo was great but it was still an appetizer. How can a movie be good if the best scene happened in the first half-hour?
Okay. This review has dragged on long enough; time to sum things up. Despite some unexpected turns, I still think that Splendido is a top notch restaurant. The ambience is perfect and the service is amazing. Even though the food did not exceed my expectations, it was still good compared to 80% of what's out there. When ordering, get something you're really in the mood for rather than focusing on the ingredients. I think this restaurant is good for going with someone you're not too familiar with or family members because of its fine dining atmosphere and relatively "safe" flavours.
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